Harvey Norman

Dyu know what, if they weren’t a big giant massive corporation, I’d give them a full 5 out of 5. I did the rounds over Christmas between all the big ones; D.I.D, Power City, etc, and seemed to be presented with either sales people who had no idea what they were talking about, a pitiful selection, or both.
I dealt with two salesmen in here who were friendly, to the point, and knew their sh*t. They guided me towards the right decision. (I know this thanks to my pre-​shopping extensive research spreadsheet. Can’t beat a good spreadsheet. Fact.)
Within an hour or so, I had everything I need jotted down and booked. I was able to pay off just 10% now to secure it all, and pay off as much or as little as I want right up to delivery. I chose delivery for two months’ time, and it amazed me that doing this (buying stuff in the sales and delivering months later) wasn’t an issue.
I also liked the fact that they asked if I have any appliances I need to be taken away. They remove them for free when they deliver the new stuff and drop them off to the council for recycling. Bonus points!

Not to many electronics left ! Mostly a furniture store.

I’ve been in 2 other Harvey Norman stores before and I think this is my least favorite.
I think they are doing some renovation work, the electronics section is a mess and there’s not a whole lot on offer.
We wanted 2 things, a radio and a TV. The selection of radios was awful, almost all were the same expensive brand. So, didn’t buy.
After looking at the TV’s and deciding what we would probably go for (we knew going in, we just had to stare at it for 10 minutes and talk ourselves into justifying the cost of such a beast) the young salesman/​salesteen asked if he could help. So we said yes, we’re interested in this. He gave us the shpeil, we asked some questions he couldn’t answer and we said we’d take it. We also inquired about sound systems for it and were given the details about the amazing systems they could sell us, when they were in stock. He then passed us over to his colleague, who went to the laptop and looked very busy for a moment and then came back to tell us there was none in stock, and that there was a 3 week wait. They’re so popular, they’re flying off the shelf, and we only had 5 to begin with, so he’d take our deposit and they’d let us know when it was in. Seriously? You knew there was none in, because you just said to us «you only had 5 to start with». You wasted our time. We declined to leave a small deposit.
We went 3 doors up and bought the beast, with sound system at DID.
Come to think of it, I’ve never bought anything in Harvey Norman, because I always find better eleswhere …

Grand to deal with… I didn’t buy my laptop here as they didn’t have Samsung and I’m on a Samsung buzz at the mo… But I’ll probably get a Mac here on their year delay thing that they have… Can’t complain the staff know their stuff.
I like to challenge them on their blenders etc…
My life will not be fulfilled without a blender… it’s true

Had a really great shopping experience here last week. Bought a Sony NEX 5N. Couldn’t find this camera ANYWHERE else in Dublin, and here it was, substantially cheaper than the price quoted by the Sony Store for when it eventually comes back in stock (at a date as yet unspecified).
The Sales staff (Stephen C) in this case was great, chatty, friendly, knowledgeable… hats off to you sir!
Had to take a star off for service at the till, the cashier casually tossed (not hard, but carelessly nonetheless) my new memory cards into the bag… not impressed with that, so would hope for better next time!
Otherwise great!

While I prefer this store to the competition, it is hardly an overwhelming endorsement. Electronic stores in this area are mostly over-​priced rubbish (in service and quality… for more info, see my review on PC World at Jervis) and are severely lacking from any decent competition.
That said, I have actually purchased a few products here, but mainly because I was in urgent need for them and couldn’t wait for Amazon, et al.
The helpfulness of the staff is mixed. I have entered the shop and been properly attended to in a professional fashion (such as looking for surround sound speakers.)
Whereas I’ve been ignored and neglected, while they mingled around chatting (such as when I was looking for a laser printer.) I will also say that their value and deals vary.
Some products are okeh and somewhat reasonable. While others are way overpriced for what they are. Their printer paper, for example, is twice the price as that in Tesco.
More to the point, I can’t help but feel like I’m being cheated when I walk in the store. To me, the store has a serious image problem and I feel like I’m browsing a used car lot. Perhaps my perception is tainted, as I’ve visited the Australian establishments and wasn’t a fan over there either.
I’m not a big fan of the so-​called «negotiable» prices either. While I’m confident in my haggling ability, especially in markets and DoneDeal, I am of the opinion that haggling with chain establishments is ultimately bad for the consumer (and perhaps the worker as well, as my understanding from boards is the price reduction comes out of commission.)

Go Harvey go! scream the ubiquitous TV and radio ads. It turns out, it nearly did, as it announced recently that the recession was seriously putting the pressure on its Irish operation. However, it struggles on, giving the Irish public furniture, computers, bedding and electronics at knock-​down prices, from this huge warehouse store.